


Fingers Entwined

by guardianstar



Category: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019), Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Series - Alvin Schwartz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Angst, Claustrophobia, Fix-It of Sorts, Hurt/Comfort, I didn't mean for it to get gay, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Nightmares, Nyctophobia, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Scary stories movie spoilers, Separation Anxiety, Trauma, all rivers lead back to the sea I guess, but here we are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-26 03:34:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20382997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guardianstar/pseuds/guardianstar
Summary: When Chuck came back to himself, he couldn't breathe.He was drenched in sweat. Some kind of slimy substance coated his skin and made his hair stick to his forehead. His clothes felt tight and clung to his body uncomfortably. His heart pounded in his chest, fear and adrenaline making it beat faster than normal. He was shivering, but he didn't feel cold. He was suffocating."Chuck! Chuck, you need to breathe!"His eyes snapped into focus - had they always been open? - on someone hovering above him. Recognition dawned on him and he choked on his first gasp of air and relief as his trembling hands reached out to grip the front of his friend's shirt."A-Auggie?"





	Fingers Entwined

When Chuck came back to himself, he couldn't breathe.

He was drenched in sweat. Some kind of slimy substance coated his skin and his hair was slick to his forehead. His clothes felt tight and clung to his body uncomfortably. His heart pounded in his chest, fear and adrenaline making it beat faster than normal. He was shivering, but he didn't feel cold. He was suffocating.

"Chuck! Chuck, you need to breathe!"

His eyes snapped into focus - had they always been open? - on someone hovering above him. Recognition dawned on him and he choked on his first gasp of air and relief as his trembling hands reached out to grip the front of his friend's shirt.

"A-Auggie?"

He'd read the story about the corpse searching for her missing toe. He'd seen the scratch marks on his best friend's bedroom floor, disappearing under the wall. He didn't think he'd ever see him again.

Auggie must've seen something in his expression that made him laugh, broken and sad and relieved. "Yeah, Chuck, it's me. You're back."

Memories of the pale woman came to mind and suddenly air couldn't quite reach his lungs again. He gripped Auggie tighter, nails digging in. "The- The pale lady. Fuck, Auggie, she was- she was everywhere. I couldn't get away. I tried- I ran, she wouldn't-"

"Chuck, breathe," Auggie reminded him, eyes filled with concern. "You're safe now, okay? The pale woman's gone. Stella took care of it. We're okay."

"You were gone," Chuck said, quieter now, "I thought... I lost you..." He was sitting up now, wasn't sure if he'd been lying down before, but he couldn't let go of Auggie. He didn't notice how his friend had been holding him just as tightly in return.

"We lost you too, idiot."

The voice came from behind Chuck and for an inexplicable moment he felt trapped and frightened, like the walls were closing in on him, but then he realised who had spoken and finally let go of Auggie so that he could turn around.

Ruthie was kneeling there, right beside him, her eyes red and tearful. "Stella's been rewriting the stories. She's setting you free one by one."

Chuck just stared at her for a moment, taking in the painful looking scar that ran down the side of her face and how tired she seemed now, before lurching forward and throwing his arms around her. He never would have hugged his sister like this before, and she never would have let him, but they'd been through too much now to care. He sobbed as she held him, relieved that things seemed to be okay now but still shaken by what had happened to them. He couldn't imagine having a normal life after this. In just a few short days his whole world had turned upside down. _Christ_, he never wanted to touch another book again.

He noticed Stella's presence just behind his sister. She was kneeling with a book resting open on her lap. A pen was in her hand, red ink dripping onto the page. She looked tired too, but was watching them with a satisfied expression like she'd finally gotten what she wanted.

He pulled away from his sister as Stella closed the book and put it inside her satchel so that she could stand. She opened her mouth to say something but hesitated, apparently changing her mind about what to say. "You're safe now. We were able to change the story." She surveyed their surroundings and frowned, worried. "We should leave. It won't be long before somebody finds us here."

It was then that Chuck finally realised where they were: in the hospital. And not just anywhere in the hospital, he recognised these hallways. He didn't think he'd ever forget them. His heart seized. His eyes darted across each exit, paranoid, looking for the pale lady. He fully expecting to see her bulbous form walking torturously slow towards him, but the halls were dark and empty. She wasn't there. Still, he couldn't contain the soft whine that escaped his lips. Nor did he realise that he'd once again reached out to grasp Auggie's sleeve, at least not until his best friend returned the gesture and carefully helped him to his feet.

"It's okay," Auggie assured him, "you'll feel better once we get away from here. Trust me."

He did.

With his best friend and his sister by his side and Stella leading the way, Chuck knew he should feel safe. But darkness loomed in the corners of his eyes and pale doors at the end of passing corridors looked like figures in the shadows. He didn't realise he had been holding his breath until Auggie quietly reminded him to breathe. He felt embarrassed, trusting Stella when she told him he was safe but still feeling as though something was following behind them. He kept looking over his shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of their stalker, but saw only shadows. The silence wasn't as comforting as it should have been. He felt Ruthie gently squeeze his hand and he forced himself to relax slightly, taking comfort from the presence of his friends enough to make it all the way to the back exit of the hospital and into a truck where Stella's dad was waiting in the driver's seat. He looked shocked to see Chuck, but not like he hadn't been expecting him. Mostly he looked sad.

"Oh, son," he had the same soft tone Stella used, "let's get you home."

...

Chuck didn't like a lot of things anymore.

His list of fears seemed to grow every day: tight spaces, wet clothes, humidity, feeling trapped or closed in. He found himself feeling short of breath, unable to breathe, or hyperventilating more often than he cared to admit. His cheeks burned with shame every time he found himself calling Auggie or Stella to talk him down from a panic attack, usually caused by something as simple as a nightmare. It wasn't uncommon for him to wake up screaming, fighting to break out of the pale lady's grip. She haunted his dreams whenever he slept and he could never get to a place where she couldn't follow. Ruthie had to shake him awake most nights and cradle him as he trembled and cried into her shoulder.

He knew she had nightmares of her own sometimes. Dreams where she was covered with spiders, pouring both out and into her mouth and eyes... She didn't always like to talk about it but she said that when she did it made her feel better. He didn't really believe her until one night when Auggie called him after a nightmare of his own.

His friend would dream of crooked hands and sharp nails clawing at his ankles, dragging under ground and into darkness. He'd wake up blinded by fear, unable to see even when he left the lights on. And he always left the lights on. He slept with his walkie safe and secure under his pillow so that he could always contact someone. Usually he'd call Stella but that night he called Chuck.

"I'm sorry," he'd said, breathless, after he'd managed to calm down somewhat. His voice crackled through the radio. "I didn't want to bother you while you had so much of your own shit to deal with. I just- I normally call Stella about it but I guess she's- I don't know, I just... I needed to call someone. I can't be alone when this happens, I just can't."

Chuck could understand. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" He wondered what he could have done wrong. Didn't Auggie trust him? Had he been a burden? He tugged at a lock of dark, curly hair and tried to smother the small feeling of hurt inside. There was no way Auggie thought so little of him.

"You're already dealing with so much already, I didn't want to... burden you."

Chuck sighed and collapsed down onto his bed so that he was lying flat but still held the walkie talkie close to his ear. "You're a moron. This is how I can help you, right? My sister keeps telling me that talking is supposed to help so if you say it helps you then of course you can tell me about it. I want to help you."

Auggie was quiet for so long that Chuck thought he'd fallen asleep again. "You still haven't told me about your nightmares." He was so quiet that Chuck almost didn't hear him. "I know you've been having them. It's not hard to figure out why you're having a panic attack at 4am, you're never willingly awake that early." A pause. "Unless you've been staying up all night reading comics, but that's not the point."

Chuck tried not to feel defensive about the subject. "There's nothing to talk about..."

"Chuck." Auggie's tone was serious. "I want to help you too, but I can't unless you let me. Talk to me, please."

Chuck groaned and dragged a hand down across his face. "Ugh! Fine! Don't get all sappy on me, geez! I don't see how it's supposed to do any good, though." His gut twisted uncomfortably. "I don't like to think about it."

Auggie's voice was soft through the receiver. The signal was shitty and his voice was often more static than not but it rang clear as day in Chuck's ears, years of use making the noise familiar. "I don't either," he admitted. "You don't have to talk about it now if you aren't ready. Or ever, if you really don't want to, but it's worth a try. Think about it."

Chuck didn't need long to think about it. "I'd rather you be here to talk about it," he said, feeling embarrassed. "I can't... I prefer to be able to see people when- after it happens. It's usually Ruthie, but if you come over..."

"Yes!" Auggie agreed, almost too quickly. He seemed to think so too because he quickly coughed and switched to a more casual tone. "I mean- yeah, sure. Sounds good. I'd be happy to."

Chuck snorted. "Yeah, alright." They were quiet for a few minutes. "Goodnight, Auggie."

"Goodnight, Chuck."

...

Auggie admitted that he no longer liked sleeping in his room. Especially not with the lights off. And he couldn't stand to be home alone. Whenever his parents were away for work he would find a way to get out of the house. Sometimes he'd sleep on the couch in Stella's basement. Most of the time he'd find himself on a sleeping mat on Chuck's bedroom floor. As kids they'd have shared the bed out of convenience but after Auggie's growth spurt it was a tight squeeze for both of them and after a couple of awkward mornings they decided it would be better to have one of them on the floor instead. It was just easier.

Nowadays, they slept with the lights on.

Chuck always made sure to cram a bunch of crap under his bed to fill up the space as well as to clear a sleeping area on his floor. He knew Auggie hated being able to see under the bed so it was safer to just totally block up the area, either with old boxes of clothes, action figures, or comics. After a while he just left those things under his bed to save the effort of moving them, especially as Auggie's visits became more and more common. He felt incredibly bad for his friend and how he struggled with feeling safe in his own home. He tried to imagine having to walk through those hospital corridors every day and fall asleep in them every night... It made him feel short of breath and he'd start to sweat. The nightmare was over, but not really. Not in their heads. If Auggie called him asking if he could sleep at his house, Chuck didn't question it.

Which is how he ended up being shaken awake by Auggie that night, still thrashing and sobbing from his nightmare.

"No, no, please don't! I don't want to go back! I don't want to go back! Let me go! Let me go!"

"Chuck! It's okay, she's not here! You're safe! Wake up!"

Chuck's eyes snapped open and he immediately pushed himself back and away from Auggie's touch until he'd backed himself into the corner. The feeling of two walls at his back did nothing to calm him down and, if anything, only seemed to worsen the panicked look in his eyes and the sound of his ragged breathing. He keened.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, please, please, please, please, please..."

"Chuck," Auggie tried again, desperate. "It's me, Auggie. You're not there anymore. You're in your bedroom. You're safe."

Chuck's eyes finally focused on his, alert and listening but unmoving. His breathing was still fast and ragged but didn't seem to be getting worse. His body trembled slightly. Auggie wanted to touch him, to hold and comfort him, but knew that Chuck hated to be touched when in this state. It terrified him. One time Auggie had tried to hug Chuck while he was in the middle of an attack and he'd nearly passed out. He wouldn't explain why, but he didn't really need to. Auggie had read his story.

Instead of touching him, Auggie could speak comforting words to him. Repeatedly telling him that he was safe, reminding him of how he'd been saved and how much time had passed without incident, was what helped the most. When he was ready, Chuck would come to him. He had to be the one to reach out. "I have to be in control," he'd told Auggie once. "I need to be in control. If I'm not, then... I feel like I'm not allowed to leave. If I start it then I can stop it." He struggled with explaining how he felt about it but Auggie respected his need for space and control as much as Chuck respected his need for physical reassurances in his times of panic.

Auggie kept talking for almost half an hour, watching Chuck's eyes dart between watching him and watching the room. He was paranoid and felt eyes watching him when there were none. The curtains were drawn and the door was closed, always, so that the pale lady couldn't sneak in but also so that he wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night and think he saw her lurking in the window or the doorway. He was self conscious of his fears and how he had to change how he lived in order to cope with them, but Auggie understood more than anyone.

When Chuck finally managed to calm down enough to breathe normally and not stare at the door with quite as much fear and anticipation, Auggie risked moving from is spot on the floor to sit on the edge of the bed, slow enough that Chuck could track his movement with ease. Instead of objecting to the movement, Chuck slid along the wall until he was next to Auggie and leaned heavily into his side.

"I can't do it, Auggie," he whispered, voice slightly hoarse from screaming. "I- I just can't, I don't- it's just-" he let out a frustrated breath as he struggled to push words past his fear, but Auggie was patient with him. "I want to, I do, it's just... I'm not... I can't." He gave Auggie a helpless look, not caring to hide that he'd started crying. He felt desperate and scared, but not alone. "Maybe later, I don't know, but not now. I can't."

Auggie wanted to soothe him, to take his fear away, but knew that the only thing he could do was be there for him. "It's fine, Chuck. I'll be here when you're ready."

Chuck let out a sigh of relief and let his head flop to rest on Auggie's shoulder, not hearing the shaky breath his friend let out at that. They'd both changed after the events with Sarah's stories. Chuck felt smaller and less boisterous than he'd ever felt in his life. He mourned for that childish innocence he thought he'd hold onto forever, the part of himself that made him Chuck. Auggie told him that he still had it, that he was still the same person he was before, but he knew he wasn't. None of them were the same. They'd all changed.

Chuck wondered if the others had noticed it or if it was all in his head. He looked at Auggie, who'd been his best friend since they were little, and wondered what he saw when he looked at him. Did he still like him? Or had he changed that much? At what point would he grow sick of him? He reached out his hand but hesitated before touching Auggie's, suddenly uncertain. When Auggie's hand turned over, palm upwards, as a wordless invitation, Chuck relaxed and entwined their fingers. Something between them had changed as well, and neither of them seemed to particularly mind. They fell asleep like that and woke up stiff when Ruthie pounded on the door, announcing that breakfast was ready for anyone awake enough to eat it.

Chuck knew that Auggie understood his experience better than anyone else, and Auggie knew the same about Chuck, but that didn't mean that Ruthie and Stella didn't understand at all.

Ruthie had always been afraid of spiders and her experience with the book had done nothing but worsen that fear. The mere sight of a spider left her frozen and shaking and she wouldn't enter a room until Chuck had either killed or removed a spider from it. More often than not he'd kill the thing, if only out of rage over what had happened to his sister. He felt protective of her more than ever and would gladly kill a hundred spiders to make her feel safe.

She'd always been so particular and careful with her looks. He remembered she'd always spend an hour in her bedroom or the bathroom getting her hair and makeup perfect and ready for school. It always used to annoy him. He could remember pounding on the door and shouting for her to open up, that he needed to pee and she was taking too long. She'd scream at him to mind his own business and to stay out of her way and would work on herself in front of that mirror endlessly. Now though... she could barely stand the sight of herself. She put on a brave face for school but there was only so much she could do to cover up her scars. People saw. People talked. It was a small town with smaller-minded people. She'd been one of the prettiest, most popular girls in school, and now she was afraid to go out in public because of the things people said both behind her back and to her face. People thought she was crazy and had no problem telling her what they thought.

Chuck started getting into fights. He'd never been a violent person, but when he overheard someone saying something particularly nasty about his sister he just... lost control. He wasn't any good at fighting though, and ended up getting his ass kicked behind the bike shed more often than not, but he didn't care. It kept the comments people made about his sister to a minimum, even if it worsened the comments made about himself. He didn't tell Ruthie, though he knew she knew. If he came home with a black eye now and then, she didn't comment on it, just helped him cover it up so their mom wouldn't notice.

Stella came to visit often. She and Ruthie had become pretty good friends while looking for a way to bring him and Auggie back. Stella said she could relate to the experience of losing all your friends to one terrible event in your life. She also said that a couple of really good friends having your back could be the difference between life and death for some people. She'd said it with such a meaningful look, like she was trying to tell him something without actually saying it but he wasn't smart enough to understand. Nonetheless, when she started turning up at their house unexpectedly with a tin of cookies and an armful of magazines, he didn't question it. He thought it would be weird having his sister join their group, but their relationship had changed. They relied on each other now more than they ever had before, and they didn't bother hiding it.

Stella wasn't always happy. She hadn't been before either, but she was melancholic more often than not since the incidents. Sure, she was more open with her writing, submitting her stories to the school paper and even talking about moving to the city one day to pursue a career as a writer, but she was just as affected by the scary stories as the rest of them.

She couldn't stand to be alone and always needed to know where everyone was and that they were safe. They'd call her in the evening on the walkie talkie to tell her that their day had been fine and to tell her goodnight, but sometimes she'd contact them throughout the day or make surprise visits just to make sure they were alright. Ruthie called it "separation anxiety" or something. Stella had scoffed at that. "I'm not afraid to not be near you guys," she'd said, either trying to convince them or herself. "I just... I just get worried. I get scared. You guys, you all got hurt while I was away somewhere meddling with that damn book. If I'd just... if I'd been with Auggie or if we'd stayed with Chuck then neither of you would have..."

She'd stopped here to put her head in her hands, her shoulders shook. Ruthie rubbed gentle circles on her back and looked on sadly. "Ramón was enlisted to join the army. He's probably out there now, fighting a war he wanted no part in, a war his brother died for. He... I'm terrified that he won't make it back. I write to him every day but I don't know how many of my letters he gets, if any at all. I've been able to get a couple of replies but not for a while. I-" another pause, this time to take a measured, slightly ragged breath, "I need to know that you're okay. I can't know if he's okay and I know I can't watch you all all the time but I just... I need to be there if anything does happen. I need to be able to protect you. I can't- I can't lose you again."

She wouldn't lose them again.

Chuck asked Auggie once how Stella had managed to free him from the book. Auggie was staying at his house again, but so was Stella. They were having a sort of group sleepover in the living room since his parents were away for work. You'd think that parents would be a little less inclined to leave their children alone at home after so many disappearances, but what can you do? At least it gave them room to pull stunts like this. It put some normalcy back into their lives, he supposed.

Ruthie and Stella had fallen asleep together on the couch over an hour ago, but Chuck was struggling to sleep with the hall to the kitchen so close. He'd placed his bed-mat behind the couch to block it from view, but that left him feeling a little more claustrophobic than he'd like. It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Auggie must have noticed his struggle because he shuffled his own bed closer until he was beside Chuck and suddenly that was all he could see.

"Tell me about when Stella brought you back," he blurted out, before he could think to say anything else. At Auggie's surprised face, he explained, "You never really explained how she brought you back."

Auggie shifted uncomfortably and eventually sat up to look down at him. He loomed over the smaller boy, but Chuck was surprised to find that he didn't feel particularly trapped or unsafe under Auggie. He didn't have much time to think about that before Auggie started talking though.

"It was pretty much the same way they brought you out, really," he said, quietly so as to not wake the girls. "They brought the book into my room. Something about your soul being tied to the location or some shit I don't know, witches are illogical at best."

He started scratching an itch on his wrist.

"I won't try to explain the how, you should ask Stella or Ruthie about that stuff if you really want to know but I didn't and I doubt you do either."

He wasn't wrong.

"Apparently Sarah gave Stella her book to write her story in... but she can also write new stories now. Like... the book's power was passed onto her or something. If she writes in the book using her own blood, the story becomes true."

"She _wrote_ in that thing?!" Chuck asked, horrified.

"To bring me back," he explained. "To bring _us_ back. Believe me, none of us are particularly comfortable with knowing that Stella can control a book that wipes people off the face of the earth, Stella herself in particular, but the book was key to bringing us back so what can we do?"

He scratched harder.

"I didn't read what she wrote, didn't want to, but I remember what it was like... inside..."

His nails dug into his wrist hard enough that, had he pulled them away, Chuck knew he'd be able to see crescent-shaped marks on his arm.

"I... I remember I was... being dragged. Endlessly. It was dark everywhere. The ground rubbed my skin raw and my fingers were bleeding from trying to claw my way out. I still... I can still feel that _thing_ holding my legs sometimes. I wake up thinking it's got me, that it's going to drag me back down into that place, that darkness, I-"

Chuck reached out and gently pried Auggie's hand away from his wrist where he had dug his nails in hard enough to bleed, leaving marks. They weren't the only marks like that. Auggie took a breath, held it, and released it while Chuck carefully entwined their fingers and patiently waited for him to continue.

"I don't know how long I was in there for. It felt like forever, but it also felt like minutes. Stella says it was closer to four months. I don't know how to feel about that. Anyway, one day the thing just- let go. Like it vanished and suddenly there was nothing holding me back. I clawed my way out of that hell and suddenly I was on my bedroom floor, blinded by the slightest light and... and Stella and Ruthie were there, standing over me."

The girls stirred a little in their sleep, as though disturbed by the sound of their own names. Auggie stopped talking until they settled down again, not wanting to wake them. Once all was quiet again, he continued in a whisper, "I remember asking where you were and how it felt when they told me you were gone... but we were going to get you back." He paused. "Do you want to hear about how we got you back?"

Chuck had never asked about it in detail. It wasn't that they never talked about what had happened, it's just that he would stop listening when they got too close to the topic of his own experiences. He still struggled with talking or even thinking about what had happened to him, but he thought maybe he could hear it if it was coming from Auggie.

He whispered, "Okay."

Auggie nodded and continued. "It- it took longer to figure out how to get to you than it did for me. It's easy to break into my bedroom, but Stella wasn't allowed into the hospital without supervision after what she did with you and Ramone. But since they didn't know me, I got a part time job there and got a copy of the backdoor key to the building and used that to get everyone inside after hours. Stella said it wouldn't take too long to get you back but we didn't want to take any chances. She found the spot and wrote her story and we waited. I knew what it had been like to come back but wasn't ready for what it would be like to see you come back."

Chuck felt oddly still as he listened to Auggie speak. He felt memories threatening to bubble up In his mind, but refused to let them surface. He watched Auggie's face, easily visible since they never turned out the lights, and how his expressions changed as he spoke. His eyes would shift between avoiding direct eye contact with Chuck and looking at him like nothing else existed. Chuck felt his hands becoming clammy and his heart pounded... the story must have started to edge too close to home, but he couldn't tell Auggie to stop.

"You just seemed to appear out of nothing. One moment the hall was empty and then suddenly you were right there in front of us. You were completely out of it. I think you were unconscious. We weren't sure if you were b-breathing or not... We thought you were dead, Chuck." His hands were shaking and squeezing tight. "You have no idea how relieved I felt when you opened your eyes, even though they were glazed and terrified... You were alive. You're alive. Holy fuck, Chuck," he laughed, but it was an empty and broken sound that made Chuck's chest hurt, "we've been through a lot, huh? We must be really messed up."

Chuck grimaced. "It is fucked up. But we're okay now, yeah?"

"It doesn't feel like it.."

It didn't. But what could they do?

...

Chuck had been back for almost two months when Stella brought up the topic of rescuing Tommy.

"Just leave him there!" Chuck argued, agitatedly pacing up and down her bedroom and making wild gestures with his hands. "He's an asshole! I guarantee the world is a better place without him."

"I know, Chuck, but that doesn't mean he deserves to be a scarecrow forever!"

"I actually agree with Stella," Auggie spoke up from where he was sitting at Stella's desk.

"_Thank you!_" Stella exclaimed at the same time as Chuck's, "_Oh, come on!_"

"You remember what it was like to be trapped there, Chuck," Auggie continued. "I don't think anyone deserves that."

"Maybe Tommy did!" Chuck stopped pacing so he could look at them. "We are just regular people living our lives, Tommy is a public menace! He basically tortured us through school! He wanted to kill us! I- do you think he'd be grateful?! He'd probably end us just as soon as we saved him." No one looked too convinced. He groaned and turned to his sister, "Ruthie! Help me out here, you dated that jerk!"

Ruth had been sitting quietly beside Stella on her bed, looking thoughtful. "Tommy was an inconsiderate, insufferable asshole. I only went on a few dates with him but he wasn't a kind person." She shifted nervously and Stella took her hand. "Honestly? He scared me sometimes. The way he... the way he looked at me and... touched me..." She shuddered. "I wouldn't miss him if he stayed gone."

Chuck could feel himself trembling with hatred and rage and anxiety for his sister. He hated that man. "That settles it then! Tommy the scarecrow stays a man of straw!"

Stella frowned, "This was never a debate on Tommy's moral integrity! I can't sit here and let this continue when I have the power to stop it."

"Why do you care so much about him?!" He couldn't contain his anger, "You know he was the one who started all those rumours about you and your mom!"

"Chuck, that's enough," Auggie said.

"No, it's not. You know him just as well as we do, Stella. How many of your old friends ditched you because of the things he said and the threats he made?"

"That's not fair," Stella said.

"How many times did Auggie and I have to find you crying in the bathrooms because of the things he said?" He continued, shoving off Auggie when he tried to get in his way. "He's a piece of shit! He'll amount to nothing! He's gonna knock up some Highschool sweetheart, force her to marry him, and spend years getting drunk and beating his own kids when he has no one else to torment anymore!" He was shaking and it was getting harder to breathe. "What could you possibly see in a guy like that that's worth saving?"

Stella was quiet. Her shoulders shook minutely and there were tears in her eyes that he hadn't noticed before. Auggie stood over him but didn't touch him, which he was thankful for. He didn't think he could handle being touched when he was all worked up like this. Adrenaline was pumping through his body and his hands were sweaty. He wiped them on his jeans.

"I spoke to his mother," Stella said at last, voice quiet and soft as ever. "She knew that you and Auggie were back and wanted to know if there was anything to know about her son. She... She and my mom used to be friends, I think. Before she left. I remember they'd bump into each other in the market and talk for what felt like hours and I'd get so tired and bored because I just wanted to go home." She laughed, but it sounded wet. A lump was forming in her throat but she swallowed around it. "She knew me and I knew her, even though we hadn't met since I was little. She looked... tired... and scared. She knows her son isn't a good man, says his father's to blame for a lot of it, but she loves him." She repeated it softly, almost in awe, "She loves him. She wants him back."

Chuck could feel the anger bleeding out of him and suddenly he just felt tired. He was emotionally and mentally exhausted.

"I'm not doing this for him," She continued, wiping the wetness from her eyes, which were now had a determined glint. "I'm doing this for her. Whether you're coming with me or not."

Of course he was coming with her.

He groaned and flopped down to sit beside her on the bed, making it bounce. "Ugh! I can't believe you're making me save the life of our Highschool bully with you. You totally owe me for this, you know that?"

"She doesn't owe you shit, idiot," Ruthie shot at him. "You're doing this because I can make your life hell at home if you don't."

"And, hopefully, because you know it's the right thing to do," Auggie said, sitting beside her so that they were all squeezed onto the bed together. "No one here particularly cares about that asshole, but we all know what it's like to be at the mercy of the book. No one would want to be stuck like that forever."

Chuck didn't even want to think about it.

They went to the cornfield the next day. Harold, or Tommy, was still dressed in the football player's signature jacket and a raggedy pair of jeans.

Ruth shuddered at the sight of it and pulled her cardigan tighter around herself. "That thing is hideous... No wonder Tommy always hated it."

"Yeah, this guy gives me the creeps," Chuck wrinkled his nose at it and tried to imagine being chased through the cornfields at night by it. He didn't envy Tommy's experience. "So, if this is Tommy, what do you think happened with Harold?"

"Maybe he turned into an everyday taxpayer," Auggie mused. "Like... he became a real boy."

"That's stupid," Chuck said. Auggie smacked the back of his head and Chuck smacked his arm in return. It quickly turned into a scuffle.

"Boys!" Stella interrupted them, exasperated. "Can we get on with this? Please?"

They huffed, giving each other one last push before following their friend. Stella sat down on the ground and opened up the book in front of her. After giving the scarecrow a considering look, she pricked her finger with the pen and started to write with her own blood. "Gross," Chuck whispered, earning himself another smack from Auggie. After a minute of silence, something happened.

"Oh, god," Auggie moaned. He sounded like he was going to throw up and threw a hand out in front of Chuck to push him back. Ruthie choked on a horrified gasp as she stumbled away. Stella continued to write as though nothing else existed.

Tommy the scarecrow had started to twitch and shake, twisting from where he hung on the pole. His straw hands lifted above his neck to fumble with the rope that held him in place. After a few seconds he dropped to the ground with a thump more solid and heavy-sounding than what should have come from a straw man. The scarecrow began to writhe on the ground, as though struggling with something that was holding him down. Then, with desperate and erratic movements, it began to tear straw from itself. It reached up it's sleeves and into it's jacket and behind it's head, tugging and tugging until piles of straw littered the ground around them. Then the creature pulled off the grotesque skinned face like a mask and revealed the shaking, horrified face of Tommy Milner.

His skin was red and he was choking. He hunched over on all fours, gagging and heaving, hacking up coughfuls of actual straw. Chuck felt his chest seize and suddenly he couldn't breathe either. "A-Auggie-"

And then he couldn't see Tommy anymore, the sight of him blocked out by his best friend's tall frame. "Breathe for me, Chuck. That's it. One in, one out. Copy me, like this." He started taking measured breaths and Chuck copied him until no longer felt like he was suffocating. He could still hear Tommy coughing and gagging behind him but he tried to ignore it.

"Let me know when he's not..." Chuck got stuck on his words.

"It's okay, I think he's almost done." Auggie checked over his shoulder. Ruth was holding a water bottle that she was trying to give to Tommy. He just smacked it away and scrambled back when he saw them.

"W-what the actual _fUCK_," he spluttered. His hair was damp with sweat and stuck to his forehead the same way Chuck could remember his own had done. But he wasn't covered in any slime. Just straw. "What- where's-"

"Harold's gone," Stella explained, closing the book and tucking it into her bag. "He turned you into a scarecrow, but don't worry. You're safe now."

Tommy was uncomprehending. "What kind of- sick joke is this? You really think I'm that stupid?! You fucking losers, you got a bone to pick with me?! _I'll fucking kill you!_"

"He's been back for less than a minute and is already making death threats, I told you," Chuck whispered to Auggie, but he didn't get smacked this time.

"You've been missing for almost six months, Tommy," Stella continued. She stood, satchel secure across her chest. "You should get back home."

"You fucking-"

"You remember it, don't you?" Auggie asked, interrupting whatever threat Tommy had been about to make. "The dark."

That shut Tommy up. He looked torn between trying to understand and not wanting to understand.

"Tell us what you saw."

Tommy's confusion somehow won over his aggression. "I... It was dark. I couldn't see but I could... I could feel. I could hear too, sometimes. I was here. I've _been_ here this whole time. But..." He started coughing again. "I- I couldn't... I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I could feel it _inside_ me. _Growing_. Itching. God, fuck, What..." He didn't seem to be able to clear his throat. He scratched at his skin. Chuck thought he could see a rash forming. "God, everything itches. What the fuck did you psychopaths do to me?!"

Stella tried to explain. "It's because you were in the house with us. We... I disturbed the ghost of Sarah Bellows. She wrote us scary stories and they became true."

Tommy snorted derisively. "You really think I'm stupid enough to believe that."

Stella shrugged. "Believe what you want but that's the truth. Go home, Tommy. Your mother's worried about you."

That got his attention. His first instinct was to become defensive about his family, but... he was so tired. He wanted to go to bed. He wanted to see his mom. He wanted to take something to help with his sore throat. He spat out a few more harsh words and death threats as he stumbled to his feet and staggered back in the general direction of his house. He hoped his mom didn't still expect him to deliver those eggs.

Ruth sighed and got to her feet. "Let's go home, guys. I'm sick of all this corn."

...

Chuck struggled a lot with feelings of paranoia. It was worse when he was alone, but he could never fully shake the feeling that he was being followed. Most of the time he could ignore it, but sometimes if he was walking home alone and it was dark... He could feel eyes on him. Her eyes. He thought he could hear her soft footsteps. Her breathing. He'd get goosebumps up and down his arms and his back would grow damp with sweat. He'd check over his shoulder, but no one would ever be behind him. If there was someone else on the street, heading in his direction, he risked having a full breakdown right there and then. He felt trapped and hysterical. Sometimes his mind would play tricks on him and he'd _see_ her, there, in the darkness, walking towards him with that knowing smile on her face, arms open for an embrace.

He'd run all the way home. His heart would pound and he'd gasp for air, fumbling with the lock until he was able to get inside. He'd remember how all the doors in the hospital were locked and how he couldn't escape and he'd be terrified that he wouldn't be able to open this door either. If he felt as though she was right behind him, arms reaching out to touch, he'd cringe back and dodge around to the back door instead. He knew where they kept the back door key hidden under a mat. He'd let himself in and slam the door shut behind him, breathing heavily. At first he'd feel relief but then he'd open his eyes and see the dark hallway leading from the kitchen to the living room. At that point he felt as though he might cry, so utterly helpless and unable to rest. His whole body would shake as he forced himself to move through the house and into his room until he could grasp his walkie talkie.

"Auggie??"

The response was always fast. None of them went far without their walkie these days.

"Chuck? What's wrong?" He always knew when something was wrong.

"She- she's here Auggie, I saw her, She was-" he choked. "She was right there, outside. I-"

"Outside your window?"

"No, I- I was walking home. I just got back." A pause. "I don't feel safe, Auggie."

"Do you need me to come over?" Auggie sounded tired. How late was it?

"I..." He wanted him to. He wanted the security that his friend always provided. "No, I... It should be fine I..." He took a sharp breath and tried to resist the urge he had to check his window. He knew he'd see her. She wasn't there, but he'd see her. "Fuck, Auggie."

"I'm coming over."

"No! It's late, you don't-"

"Yes I do," he insisted, his voice calm but serious. "Is Ruth home?"

Chuck groaned and paced his room. "No... she's staying at Stella's tonight. Girls night or something gross like that. She didn't want to leave me home alone but I told her she should go. She... She doesn't get out as much as she used to. I know she misses it."

"I'll be over in ten. Will you be okay?"

He scoffed. "Yeah, Auggie, I think I can survive for ten minutes alone in my own house."

"Alright, jerk. I'll see you soon." The line went quiet as he left and Chuck let out a breath as he set the walkie on his messy desk. He didn't like the quiet.

He went around the house flipping on every light switch for when Auggie arrived. None of them were especially fond of the dark anymore, but Auggie was the worst. Especially if it went dark suddenly, like when the power goes out. He becomes inconsolable until you get him to a new light source. He keeps emergency candles in his room at all times just in case. His mum would go on about how they were wasting electricity, but what could you do? He'd choose his friends comfort over the power bill any day.

A sudden knock made him flinch until he heard Auggie's voice through the front door. "Chuck! I'm here, open up!"

Chuck smiled and opened the door, opening his mouth to greet his friend, but the doorstep was empty. He frowned and peered out into the dark street, trying to spot his friend. "Auggie?" Silence. "Is this a joke? Because it's not funny." More silence. He looked left and right. No sign of him. He frowned but slowly closed the door. Maybe he went to the back door? He began to head towards the kitchen when he heard knocking at the door again.

"Chuck? I'm here! Open the door!"

Chuck frowned and moved back to the door. Yeah this was definitely a joke. He slammed the door open as Auggie knocked continuously. "Ha ha, very funny, now get inside you... dick..." the doorstep was empty. The second he'd opened the door the knocking had stopped. He looked around. No one was in sight.

Chuck felt a chill down his spine. Something was wrong. "Auggie?" He called out, voice wavering a little. "This is seriously a dick move if you're pranking me. Just come out already." Silence. A cold breeze made him shiver and he closed the door again.

"Chuck! Chuck, answer the door!"

Chuck flinched away from the door as the banging resumed, louder than before, the moment he closed it. It was unnatural. This couldn't be Auggie.

"Oh no," he whimpered, cringing further away from the door as the banging continued and Auggie's voice became more erratic. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, _please_ no, not this."

The air became hot and humid. His sweat made his clothes cling to his skin uncomfortably. His heart pounded and his body was shaking. The door was rattling in front of him and it felt like the whole house was trembling. Auggie's voice was shouting now, but his voice was twisted and dark, switching from concern to anger. _**Charles Steinberg! Get down here this instant! Don't ignore me, boy, or you'll seriously regret it!**_

Chuck was suffocating. He stumbled away from the door and up the stairs to his room. He shoved the door open but immediately fell back in horror. The pale lady. She was there. Her arms stretched out to embrace him and he screamed, dragging himself off the floor and down the hall. The lights which he'd so carefully turned on earlier had all turned dark red, bathing the house in a thick red glow. He almost tripped falling down the stairs and turned down the hall leading to the kitchen, but stopped again. She was there. Walking. Slow. Smiling. Arms outstretched. He couldn't breathe.

He backed away and looked back up the stairs. She was there. There was something grotesque about the way she smiled, deceptively gentle. She moved and he ran.

He turned back to the front door, still shaking with every slam of Auggie's fists. It made the very foundations of the house shake, or was it just him. **_LET ME IN. LET ME IN. LET ME IN._**

"Get out! Get out! Get out!" He screamed in return, backing himself into the corner of the living room. Everything was red. The pale woman loomed over him. He pressed himself deep into the wall, trying to get away, but it sank under his weight and he screamed at the sensation of being absorbed again. "No, no, no, no, no, please, not again, no!" He felt the pale woman's heavy fingers take hold of his shoulders hard enough to bruise, but instead of pulling him into her embrace she started pushing him deeper into the wall. The wallpaper sank and felt like skin. Slime coated his body as it slipped deeper and he screamed and screamed and screamed. The font door finally cracked and splintered and through the wreckage emerged a huge, dark, shadowy demon. **_This is an evil place. _**It ate at his vision, turning everything dark at the corners and stretched reality in front of him. **_Flee while you can. _**He wasn't screaming anymore because he couldn't breathe. He was inside the wall, surrounded by thick wetness. There was no room to move and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe.

"Chuck!" A voice snapped, loud in his ears.

He felt the pale woman's hands on his shoulders, but this time they pulled him out and he was sweating and gasping like a fish out of water on his living room floor.

"Chuck!" The voice repeated. It was Auggie's.

"No," he sobbed, crawling away. "Please, no, get out, get out." He could still feel fingers on him. Slime coated his hands. "No, no, no, no-"

"Chuck, I need you to breathe with me."

"I can't breathe," he whined. The walls were closing in. Everything was red.

"Yes you can. You're in you're living room. You're safe. You fell asleep on the couch and had a nightmare. You're safe. She isn't here."

Auggie's voice was soothing but Chuck was reluctant to calm down. "Auggie?"

"Yes, Chuck. I'm here. You're safe."

He sobbed. "You were there."

Auggie frowned. The room wasn't red. The walls weren't closing in or made of skin. The slime on his hands was just sweat. The front door was intact. There was no shadow demon. There was no pale lady. "Where was I?"

"Here." Chuck swallowed around the lump in his throat. It hurt. He'd been screaming again. Shit. "I could hear you at the door."

"I was knocking but you wouldn't answer. Then I heard you screaming so I came in through the back door. I know where you keep the key."

He laughed without humour. "Under the mat."

"It's a stupid place to hide a key."

"It's a classic."

"It's unsafe."

He snorted. Then coughed. "You weren't you. You were..." He shuddered. "You were something else. I can't- everything was red again. I was back but it was here. It was home. The pale lady... She was inside. S-she was in my room, Auggie. I couldn't... I couldn't..." He was shaking.

"Can I touch you?" Auggie asked. He had this pained look on his face, like he was so so sad. Chuck couldn't say no. He keened forward and Auggie wrapped his arms around him, loose enough that Chuck could easily push him off if he wanted to. He didn't, though. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Auggie's torso and buried his face into his shoulder. He could smell him as he breathed. It was gross.

"Did you cycle here? You smell of sweat."

"Speak for yourself, jackass," Auggie retorted, embarrassed, but he didn't let go. Neither did Chuck. "I wanted to get here quickly."

Chuck pictured Auggie racing all the way here just because he was worried about him and it made Chuck's heart race. He was glad his face was hidden in his friend's shoulder. God, if Stella could see them like this she'd give them that knowing smirk and say, "Called it," or something lame like that. She was such a know it all, but nowhere near as insufferable as Auggie.

"Chuck... tell me what happened to you. In the story."

"Didn't you read it?" He mumbled into the fabric of Auggie's sweater.

"I don't- not Sarah's story. I mean, what happened to you _inside_."

Oh.

That was the part that Chuck hadn't been able to talk about yet. What happened once the pale lady consumed him. What it was like to be trapped in there. What he felt.

Now was as good a time to talk about it as any.

"You know she gave me a hug. Well, it wasn't really a hug, she just took hold of me and pressed me into her body. Literally inside her. was cold and clammy. Her dress looked like skin with the way it clung to her body. I..." He remembered the walls in his dream and the way he sank into them. The way they consumed him. "It's like... It's like she ate me but... through her skin... like I was absorbed. I didn't... It wasn't like I became a part of her, it was like I was trapped inside her. Like I was inside this... wet sack... It was humid. I couldn't breathe. The smell... God, the smell, Auggie, it was like vomit." He gagged at the thought. "I couldn't move in there, I could barely breathe, I was just trapped."

"That's awful."

"Yeah... none us us really had a fun experience, huh?"

"I guess not."

"I don't really remember what it was like coming out. I thought I was going to die, Auggie. I thought I was dead. That place? It's hell. It's as simple as that." Chuck let out a shaky breath against Auggie's neck and felt him shudder minutely. "Christ, I might even go to church next weekend..."

"You'd make a terrible saint."

"I'd be better than you."

Auggie rolled his eyes and pulled away enough to give chuck a considering look. "You need a shower," he said.

"I still smell better than you."

"Shut up."

"No, you."

They went on bickering like that for the rest of the evening. Auggie didn't need to sleep on the floor that night.

...

Stella finally got her driver's licence just before Halloween. It had almost been a whole year since the Sarah Bellows incident and Ramón was due finish his tour in Vietnam in a few weeks. Stella had been brimming with nerves, worrying that something terrible would happen to him when he was so close to returning home, but this small victory seemed like something worth celebrating. Not to mention that everyone was desperate for something to take their minds off of the approaching holiday.

"Come on guys," she laughed, tossing Ramón's car keys in the air and catching them in her hand as she spoke into the radio. It often to weeks, or months, for her to receive one of Ramón's replies, but he'd told her long ago that she had permission to use her car whenever she got her licence. With the condition that she didn't let either of the boys ruin it. He was right not to trust them. "We've got to do _something_ this weekend, and the perfect movie is on at the drive-in!"

"Is it another old-as-balls horror movie?" Chuck's reluctant voice crackled through the receiver.

"Maybe..." she winced. Was she really so predictable? "But it'll be fun! I promise."

"We may as well do something," Auggie said. "We'll just be sitting around at home otherwise."

"What kind of movie is it, Stella?" Ruth asked, probably using Chuck's walkie to get in on the conversation.

"The Curse of Frankenstein. It's about a mad scientist who tries to build the perfect man, but just ends up reanimating a corpse." She looked at the horror movie posters around her room, thoughtful. "It's based on a book which is much more sad. You're supposed to sympathise with the creature but the movie kind of reduces him to a mindless, violent monster. Still, it's pretty scary."

"We'll come," Ruth said, ignoring Chuck's protests in the background. "You're right, it'll be fun. Plus we'll get to see you drive us around in your boyfriend's car." She sounded excited and Stella couldn't help but blush slightly as she looked down at Ramón's car keys.

"I'm in as well," Auggie agreed quickly.

"That settles it then," she grinned. "I'll pick you guys up in the car tomorrow."

Stella drove by Chuck's house first, delighted at how they burst out of the house as she honked the car horn. Chuck tried to wrestle his sister for the front seat, but she elbowed him out of the way. "You're such a gentleman," she sneered at him sarcastically as she closed the door.

"Like could be called a lady," he shot back in the same tone and she glared at him through the rear-view mirror before giving Stella a friendly smile.

"Hey, Stella. Love your car."

Stella returned the smile and ignored Chuck's huff in the back as she pulled away from the sidewalk. "Thanks, but I'm really just looking after it for now. Ramón said it's important not to leave a car idle for too long."

Ruth grinned wickedly. "You must be excited for when he gets back. I'm sure you've got a lot to catch up on."

Stella's cheeks turned dark red and Chuck gagged. "Ruthie! That's disgusting!"

"Not as disgusting as you," she replied easily, still grinning at Stella's embarrassed expression.

The two started bickering easily and Stella was glad to get away from Ruth's questions. She was _not_ going to talk about Ramón like this. Especially not in front of the boys. She stopped in front of Auggie's house and pressed down on the horn until he emerged.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" He said, opening the car door and slipping in beside Chuck, who flicked on the backseat light. "God, you're impatient,"

"And you're slow," she grinned.

The movie was good enough for the evening. Stella had already seen it, of course, but it was enough to give Ruthie a fright. She'd never been too good with horror films. They'd had to turn off the backseat light when the movie started but Auggie didn't feel so afraid in the dark with a movie playing, his friends around him, and Chuck's hand in his. Leaning on each other in the shadows at the back of the car, Auggie felt almost comfortable and protected. He didn't even realise he'd fallen asleep on Chuck's shoulder until the smaller boy was nudging him awake to go home.

"Want me to go in with you," he asked.

Auggie looked around. The light had been turned on again and Stella and Ruthie were talking quietly in the front. They weren't paying attention to them. He looked out the window and saw his house across the street. The windows were dark. He swallowed. "Yeah."

Chuck didn't seem bothered and unbuckled his seat-belt without a second thought. "I'll see you later, Ruthie," he said.

Ruth looked back over her shoulder and looked between Auggie and Chuck. She was used to the two spending the night together, as she often did with Stella, but had noticed that something had changed between the two boys. She couldn't quite put her finger on what, but they seemed closer and more relaxed in each other's space than they'd ever been before. She was glad that they seemed to be doing better, but was worried for them. She wanted her brother to be safe.

"Okay," she said at last. "Be careful."

Chuck frowned at that, not knowing what she meant, but she'd already turned back to Stella. He shrugged and followed Auggie out of the car.

"What was that about?" Auggie asked as they walked up the steps to his house.

Chuck listened to the sound of Ramón's car driving away and shook his head. "No clue." He frowned, suddenly concerned. "Do you think she knows about..."

"No," Auggie said quickly. "At least... I hope not. Do you think she'd..."

"I don't know. I- we're closer now than we were before but... I don't know how far that feeling goes." Auggie nodded and unlocked the front door. Chuck went in first to turn on the light. "If she knows, she might want to talk about it."

"She doesn't know."

"But she might!"

"Shh!" Auggie hissed, covering Chuck's mouth with his hand. Chuck's heart pounded at the sudden closeness. "Don't speak so loud, my parents are- ugh!" He wrenched his hand away and stared at his palm, a disgusted twist on his face. "Did you just _lick_ my hand?!"

"Serves you right," Chuck grinned, sticking out his tongue.

"You're so gross," Auggie hissed, wiping his hand on Chuck's sleeve and making his way into his bedroom as Chuck sniggered.

"You love it," he said confidently, closing the door behind him.

In the end it turned out that Ruthie did know, and so did Stella. They weren't as subtle as they thought they were. Stella had known since the beginning. Chuck had confessed to her years ago that he didn't like girls and she'd been okay with it. She accepted him and that was part of what made her such an important friend to him. He hadn't explicitly told her that he liked boys instead, but she got the message. It was their best-kept secret. He hadn't even told Auggie until recently, afraid of what his childhood best friend would think of him. He would never have dreamt that things could go so well for him.

Ruthie didn't need to be told by anyone. She'd walked into his room one morning to call him down for breakfast and found him curled up in Auggie's arms, fast asleep and pressed together on Chuck's small bed. She hadn't woken them up and she hadn't mentioned it to him until after Halloween. She didn't want to assume but she wanted her brother to be safe. She was worried. She'd heard about what happened to boys who liked boys. She knew how they were treated and how they could be arrested or killed for it. She wanted him to be safe.

"I want you to be happy," she'd told him.

"I _am_ happy," he argued. "I'm happier now _because_ of him. You know what I was like in the beginning, after I first got back."

"I know," she agreed. "But if anyone finds out-"

"They won't," he assured her. "It's fine. It's nothing. We're not... We're not even doing anything really, it's just- I- we're just there for each other... You know? It's been hard, really hard, and he just... He makes things easier, Ruthie." He felt like he was begging her, but he wasn't sure what for.

She looked and sounded exhausted. "I just hope you know what you're doing. I won't tell anyone, but..." she sighed and reached over to hug him. "I love you. You know that right?"

Chuck was quiet for a few moments. "Yeah. I love you too."

...

Life went on, almost normally, until Ramón came home at the end of his one year tour in Vietnam. There was an invisible weight on his shoulders that lifted slightly when he finally saw Stella for the first time in what felt like forever. She was a sweet sight for sore eyes. She ran to him and leapt into his arms, thrusting her own around his neck and burying her face into his jacket. He smelled of sweat after a long journey home, but she didn't care and he couldn't bring himself to feel self conscious about it. This was the cleanest he'd been for weeks.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"I missed you too," he said, laughing. His heart burst with happiness. He was home. "God, I've missed you."

"Did you get my letters?" She asked, pulling away at last and he set her down on the ground gently. "I wrote to you every day."

"I know, I think I received more letters than anyone else in my squad. But..." He frowned, "I don't think I was able to get all of them. We weren't... it's not easy to get mail around out there. I'm sorry."

She shook her head quickly. "Please, don't be, it doesn't matter anymore. You're here now. You're finished. You're safe."

"I'm home." He grinned. "Did you look after my car?"

"Of course," she snorted. "My dad's was keeping it safe since you left, at least until I got my licence. After everything you did for me, he felt like he owed at least that much to you."

"He doesn't mind... about us?"

"Oh he minds, but he's my dad. It's his job to worry about me." Ramón smiled and opened his mouth to reply when a loud voice interrupted him.

"Hey, Ramón! You're back! Do you still have that switch blade?"

"Idiot, you've GOT to stop asking about that damn switch blade! You're so rude."

"What?? Can't a guy be interested in a little knifework? He's ex-military now, that's so badass! You got yourself a real hunk, Stella." Chuck whistled and Auggie pushed him, hissing at him to shut up.

Ramón sighed and Stella rolled her eyes. "I don't think I missed them so much," he said solemnly, but his eyes were bright with good humour as he looked at her.

Chuck put a hand to his chest, aghast. "I heard that! I know you missed us too. Though not as much as your _girlfriend~_"

Stella blushed dark red. "Chuck, I swear to god-" She reached around Ramón to whack Chuck, who squealed and moved to hide behind Auggie, who was just laughing. Everyone was in good spirits. The gang was back together.

"I'm glad you two are okay," Ramón finally admitted. "Stella told me in her letters that she'd been able to save you but still, I'm glad to finally see it for myself." His eyes lingered on the two boys, thinking about how he hadn't been able to help them when they needed it. He remembered the scratch marks on Auggie's floor and Chuck's terrified expression as he begged them not to take him to the RED room. "I wish I could have done more for you."

Auggie smiled weakly and Chuck shifted uncomfortably at his side, holding his friend's sleeve with one hand. Ramón didn't miss that but didn't make a comment. "It's all in the past now," Stella said softly, taking his hand. "We're all here now, let's just go home."

"Agreed," Chuck said.

"First thing's first," Ramón interrupted, "I want to see my car."

"Right this way," Stella grinned, leading him down the street. "I've been driving it around and, no, I didn't let Chuck sit behind the wheel."

"Killjoy," Chuck muttered.

Ramón laughed. Somehow, he'd missed this. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Nothing good, most likely," she said, tossing him his car keys and entering the passenger seat when he unlocked the doors. Chuck and Auggie took their places in the back seat. Ramón wasted no time before starting the car and driving off. He rolled down his window to feel the cool Autumn air and laughed at the freedom he felt after months in an unfamiliar country with less familiar people. He'd only lived in this town and with these people for a short while, but they were family to him now. Stella took his hand as he drove and Ramón smiled at her, freely and delighted.

Behind them, Chuck and Auggie were grinning too, their fingers entwined. Inside this car, the world was theirs. They could do what they pleased with it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I loved this movie and really enjoyed writing this! I hope you like it too :)


End file.
